The Dust Buster of Bumblechops Manor
The Dust Buster of Bumblechops Manor is a two-part story that was published in Issue 44 of the Moshi Monsters Magazine. Story Part 1 "Oh... Frazzledragons!" huffed Snuffy Hookums as she bent over to pick up the notes that she'd just dropped. It was time for the annual clean-up at Bumblechops Manor, and while Buster was busy dusting the books in his library, Snuffy was in the study trying to make sense of a mountain of papers and sketches from their Moshling research trips. "I don't know where to start," she moaned to IGGY. "Every time I move a pile to clean under it, I make another pile somewhere else. It's hopeless." "IGGY Grinned and waggled his eyebrows. "No, IGGY!" said Snuffy, who was fluent in Pixel-Munching Snaffler. "You can't just eat it all - this is important research. What we need is a filing system. But first, help me take it all outside so that I have space to clean." IGGY and Snuffy set to work, carrying piles of paper into the gardens of Bumblechops Manor. They laid them on the lawn and weighed them down with garden ornaments to stop the wind from blowing away and of the precious notes. "Phew! Nice work," said Snuffy, mopping her brow. "Right. Let's get that study clean, then we can move everything back in. Tidily this time!" They charged back to the study, ready for action. IGGY grabbed a broom in his mouth and started sweeping the floor at lightning speed, working all the dust into neat little piles for the dustpan. At the other end of the room, Snuffy was balanced on a footstool, reaching up with a long feather duster to clean a row of grimy jars. She was up on tiptoes when the rickety old stool's legs gave way and she fell with an almighty crash, snapping the feather duster in half. "Ow!" she cried. "Oh no! My duster! How am I going to finish cleaning up?" "Cough!" went IGGY. Then he did a little twirl and said, "Ta-dah!" "Now that you mention it," said Snuffy, clambering to her feet and smiling, "you do look like a feather duster. Do you really want to give it a go?" IGGY Did a little somersault and got to work! He whizzed up to the highest corners of the study and twirled around and around as fast as he could, clearing cobwebs and showering Snuffy with dust. Then he zoomed along the shelves, puffing and twirling and gathering speed until he was nothing but a purply, furry blur! Then it was the windows! IGGY sped from pane to pane, buffing and polishing until the sun poured in through the sparling glass. Not that it made much difference down below. The sunlight couldn't get through the giant cloud of dust that had covered the study and Snuffy, leaving her coughing and spluttering! Part 2 "Careful, IGGY!" Snuffy managed to shout. "Bleurgh! Yuck!" she added, as her mouth filled with grime from the swirling dust cloud. Fortunately, it didn't last long. The supersonic IGGY went right round Buster's study from top to bottom before you could say Snuffling Snufflepeeps! Finally he came to a halt in front of his now filthy friend. "Hah!" laughed Snuffy. "Do I look as bad as you?" IGGY wasn't pinky purple anymore! Now he was browny grey, like a year's worth of belly button fluff. The dust settled and the sunlight shone through IGGY's well-polished windows and into the study. And what a sight it was! The shelves looked sparkly enough to be shown in the window of Horrods! Every object had been shined and put neatly back in place. Only the carpet let things down. All the dust that had been cleared from up above had settled on the floor! Snuffy was just finishing sweeping when a loud noise stopped her in here tracks. KRAKA-BOOOOOM! It was a booming crack of thunder! "The papers!" squealed Snuffy. "They're in the garden!" There was a mad scramble as Snuffy and their Moshling helper dashed outside and tore around the garden, gathering up Buster's research notes before they could get rained on. It was a close call, but they made it. The heavens opened just as the last pile of papers was carried safely inside. And wow! What a rainstorm! "Hey!" said Snuggy, as they watched the rain from the doorway of the house. "I've got an idea! The last dirty thing in Bumblechops Manor is us! Fancy a shower?" She grabbed IGGY and dragged him onto the lawn and the happy friends danced around the garden laughing until the rain had washed all the dirt away. "You make a mean feather duster," said Snuffy to IGGY as they dried off in front of the library's enormous roaring fire. "But let's hope Buster doesn't need another spring clean for a while!" Category:Stories